Malignant melanoma.

"Melanoma has become a major public health problem worldwide and its incidence in individuals of European origin continues to rise. Melanoma is the third most common cancer in Australia (in men and women); the fifth in the United States (in men and women); and the 12th in men and the sixth in women in the United Kingdom" (J. G. Thompson, R. A. Scolyer, & R. F. Kefford, 2009, p. 362). The American Cancer Society estimated that about 68,720 new melanomas were diagnosed in the United States during 2009, resulting in about 8,650 deaths. The purpose of this article is to explain the pathophysiologic components of malignant melanoma.